Mohammad Asghar: 8. What action will the Welsh Government take to improve the economy of south-east Wales in the fifth Assembly? OAQ51658
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for the reply, First Minister. The abolition of tolls on the Severn crossing at the end of this year will remove one of the barriers hindering economic prosperity in south-east Wales. We just heard earlier, also—last week, the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, held a summit in Newport on how we can transform the economic and cultural prospects of south Wales...
Mohammad Asghar: Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on caring for looked-after children in Wales, please? Yesterday, the head of children and family services at Newport council, Sally Jenkins, told the Public Accounts Committee that there was a crisis in caring for looked-after children, with councils struggling with a lack of residential care and foster carers. She went...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, affordable transport is vital if young people are to be able to access education and training to obtain the skills our economy needs. The National Union of Students points out that some apprentices are paying 20 per cent of their income on travel and have called for the introduction of an apprentice travel card. I just heard from the Minister there about taxable benefit. I...
Mohammad Asghar: Last November, Cabinet Secretary, the British Medical Association published a new position paper on the use of e-cigarettes, and I quote what they stated: 'There are clear potential benefits to their use in reducing the substantial harms associated with smoking, and a growing consensus that they are significantly less harmful than tobacco use. With appropriate regulation, e-cigarettes have...
Mohammad Asghar: First Minister, research has shown that women from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to attend cervical screening than white women. A survey found that only 28 per cent of women from ethnic minority communities would be comfortable talking to a male GP about cervical screening, compared to 45 per cent of white women. Twice as many BAME women as white women said that...
Mohammad Asghar: Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on waiting times for bowel cancer tests in Wales? A report published by Bowel Cancer UK has revealed that patients at five out of seven health boards in Wales are waiting longer for the test to diagnose bowel cancer. Worryingly, they also found that fewer than half of the people eligible for bowel cancer...
Mohammad Asghar: 8. What action will the Welsh Government take to attract more tourists to Wales in the fifth Assembly? OAQ51704
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you very much for that positive reply, Minister. Welsh Government support is vital for the effective marketing of Wales as a tourist destination. The Wales Tourism Alliance has expressed concern that the current marketing budget for Visit Wales, when compared to competitor destinations, is inadequate to realise the potential of the tourist industry in Wales. Is the Cabinet Secretary...
Mohammad Asghar: The M4 Newport corridor plays a vital role in connecting south Wales with England and Europe. One of the most heavily used roads in Wales, the M4 corridor is the economic and social gateway to Wales. It connects our ports, airports and serves our tourist industry. Deputy Presiding Officer, I live only 20 to 30m away from the M4 and I travel regularly, and of the 11 years I've been in this...
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Further to that question, could the First Minister advise when details of which schools and colleges in south-east Wales will be modernised under band B of the twenty-first century schools and education programme will be announced, and how will these building schemes address the growth in demand for Welsh-medium education in my region especially?
Mohammad Asghar: Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on the Welsh Government decision to reject EMIS, the clinical system that provides integrated healthcare and is used by half of Welsh GP surgeries? Concerns have been raised with me that the practices have not been consulted or given a reason for this decision, other than that EMIS 'failed to reach...
Mohammad Asghar: Good afternoon, Minister. At the moment, planning consent will normally lapse unless development is started within three years. Local authorities may serve a completion notice stating that the planning permission will cease if there is expiration of a further specified period, but they do not have the power to require that a development should actually be completed. That is the scenario. What...
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, the traffic analytics firm INRIX estimates that the traffic jams on our roads last year cost the Welsh economy almost £278 million, which is a striking figure. Congestion cost Cardiff £134 million, Swansea £62 million, and Newport £44 million. Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that this cost to the Welsh economy will be taken into account when deciding the future of...
Mohammad Asghar: What measures will the Welsh Government introduce in 2018 to reduce hospital waiting times in Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Minister, last week, Professor Patrick Minford of Cardiff University—[Interruption.] Well, yes, I listened. He told the Welsh Affairs Select Committee that Welsh consumers will benefit enormously from the lower prices as a result of competition and rising productivity resulting from—[Interruption.]
Mohammad Asghar: Thank you, Presiding Officer—resulting from leaving the customs union and the single market. He predicted that poorer households such as those in Islwyn would make even bigger gains. Why is the Welsh Government so dismissive and negative about the views of economists like Professor Minford and reluctant to recognise the economic opportunities resulting from Brexit for Wales?
Mohammad Asghar: Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on financial support for apprentices in Wales? The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee has reported that there is substantial evidence that financial barriers are discouraging, and in some cases are preventing young people from taking up apprenticeships across Wales. The committee has called for the Welsh...
Mohammad Asghar: 4. What action will the Welsh Government take to reduce homophobic hate crime in Wales in 2018? OAQ51796
Mohammad Asghar: Cabinet Secretary, Newport City Council has approved a budget that will result in cuts to services that will fall heavily on some of the most vulnerable people in the area. These include vulnerable people with mental health issues, people with learning disabilities and children with additional learning needs. What is the Cabinet secretary doing to address the genuine anger and dismay of the...
